Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-11-2020

Daily Current Affairs,DCA-CS,November 2020,

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World – Biden edges closer to victory as Trump mounts legal challenges – America woke up on Thursday (November 5) to another day of uncertainty around the winner of the presidential election, even as Joe Biden appeared to be on the verge of reaching the 270 of 538 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, after he won Michigan and Wisconsin. President Donald Trump’s campaign mounted legal challenges in several States. Mr. Trump’s supporters, some armed, protested in Arizona and hundreds of anti-Trump protesters in Minneapolis blocked a highway. The nation’s focus had narrowed to four States by Thursday — Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada. Results were also not in for North Carolina and Alaska. Mr. Biden’s lead shrunk in Arizona by Thursday while Mr. Trump’s leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania went down.
2. Agriculture – Agitating farmers block roads in 18 States – Stepping up their protests against the three recently passed agriculture laws and the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, farmers in 18 States blocked roads and staged demonstrations at more than 2,500 locations on Thursday (November 5). They estimated that 5 lakh farmers had participated countrywide, adding that the agitation was only a precursor to plans to mobilise in the Capital later this month. The largest gatherings were in Punjab and Haryana, with hundreds of farmers in both States squatting on roads, including National and State Highways from noon till 4 p.m., disrupting vehicular traffic. The protests were peaceful.
3. COVID-19 – Delhi could soon become ‘corona capital’, says HC – Expressing displeasure over the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the Capital, the Delhi High Court has said the city could soon become the “corona capital of the country”. The Bench noted that the Delhi government had made many claims of topping the charts in testing but the number of cases had also soared. “The city could soon become ‘corona capital’ of the country, thanks to the number of cases shooting up,” the Bench said, adding it was going to take the matter very seriously. The High Court said the unpaid municipal workers and retired staff have faced the real and maximum pinch during the pandemic, and asked the civic bodies to make an attempt to release their pending salaries as the festival of Deepavali is round the corner.
4. Polity & Governance – Crackers banned in Delhi, Bengal; BMC plans silent Diwali – Sale and use of firecrackers has been banned in Delhi and West Bengal till November-end, less than a week after Rajasthan and Odisha took similar steps. The Delhi government announced the ban on November 5 in view of the grave pollution scenario and the surge in Covid-19 cases. In Bengal, it was imposed by the Calcutta HC “for the greater good”, just as it had declared all Durga Puja pandals “no-entry zones” to prevent a Covid-19 explosion because of crowding. The court’s ban includes “all types of sparklers and the like”. Only “wax or oil-based diyas” would be allowed for illumination.
5. Defence – India conducts tri-Services combat drill in A&N Islands – A special tri-Service combat exercise called “Bull Strike”, with Special Forces and amphibious operations, was conducted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) over the last three days. The high-voltage exercise, with assets and manpower from the Army, Navy and IAF as well as Para-SF and marine commandos, was conducted at the remotely-located Teressa Island in the Nicobar group of islands from November 3 to 5. The combat manoeuvres included combat free-fall and para-drop from C-130J “Super Hercules” strategic airlift aircraft, special heli-borne operations by “Ghatak’ platoons of the Army and amphibious landings by warships.
6. Economy – 75% quota for locals in pvt sector jobs – The Haryana assembly has passed a bill providing for 75% reservation of factory and other blue-collar jobs for local candidates, sealing the BJP-led government’s argument that an influx of migrants competing for limited employment opportunities strains infrastructure and leads to proliferation of slums. The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill 2020 is applicable only to new private-sector job openings and, hence, won’t affect outsiders already employed in factories and other industrial units in the state. All jobs with a monthly starting salary of below Rs 50,000 come under the ambit of the proposed law. Privately managed companies, societies, trusts, limited-liability partnership firms and jointly ventures based within the state and employing 10 or more people can hire only up to 10% of the approved local quota from one district. Employers may claim exemption whenever an adequate number of local candidates with the desired skills, qualifications or proficiency are not available. The penalty for contravention of these provisions range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000.
7. Polity & Governance – J’khand to keep CBI out, 7th state to do so – A day after Kerala put up a no-entry board for the CBI, Jharkhand has joined the league of non-BJP states revoking “general consent” for the country’s premier investigating agency to conduct any new probe within its boundaries without prior permission. Jharkhand is the seventh state where the CBI now requires either a court directive or the government’s consent to open an investigation. The barrier to entry does not apply to any investigation that is underway.
8. COVID-19 – India sees 600+ deaths for second straight day – For the second consecutive day on Thursday (November 5), India recorded more than 600 Covid fatalities as 675 fresh deaths pushed the country’s cumulative toll to 1,24,982. Since October 23, daily deaths had remained below the 600-mark and it was only on Wednesday that casualties had breached the 700-mark for the first time in 14 days. The unusually high daily fatalities on Wednesday and Thursday were on account of data cleanup exercise by Maharashtra, which pushed the state’s daily casualties on both the days to mid-October levels, consequently reflecting a rise in the national figures.
9. Study/Research – More girls than boys called child helpline in Jan-Sept – From January to September 2020, the national helpline, Childline — 1098, for children in distress has intervened in over 74,400 cases regarding abuse and violence and 42% (31,438) of these children were in the 11 to 15 years age group. Another 24% (17, 926) of the complaints were related to children of 10 years and less. The classification of “protection from abuse” (PFA) includes cases of child marriage, physical and sexual abuse, child labour and trafficking among other crimes. The PFA data also shows that of all the children who sought help, 57% were girls and boys accounted for 43% of the cases. Last year, during the same period, the 92,044 PFA cases involved 51% girls and 49% boys. Clearly more girls compared to boys have reached out for help this year on Childline 1098 helpline.
10. World – Denmark to cull 17m mink as corona mutation hits 12 people – The Danish government will slaughter all the mink in the country at more than 1,000 farms, citing concerns that a mutation in the coronavirus that has infected them could possibly interfere with the effectiveness of a vaccine. There are 17 million mink in Denmark, one of the world’s major exporters of mink furs, and the nationwide cull will devastate the massive pelt industry. The government has informed the WHO, which said that 12 people in Denmark’s Jutland are known to have virus with the mutation too.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Municipal Coop Bank Ltd	Dy General Manager, Asst General Manager	8	M.Com, MBA, CA/ ICWA/ CS	NOV-13-2020	https://municipalbankmumbai.com/files/vacancy/201013160206_0001.pdf
2	Institute for Plasma Research	Graduate & Technician Apprentice	18	Diploma, B.Tech/ B.E (Engg.)	NOV-22-2020	http://www.ipr.res.in/documents/Advt-07-2020_Apprentice.pdf
3	NIEPMD	Consultant, Jr. Consultant, DEO	6	Any Degree, PG, Typing	NOV-13-2020	http://www.niepmd.tn.nic.in/documents/Employment_not_3420_041120.pdf
4	NIVEDI	SRF, JRF, Young Professional-II, Laboratory Assistant	7	Degree, PG with CSIR, UGC, NET	NOV-8-2020	https://www.nivedi.res.in/sites/default/files/2020-11/ADDENDUM%20%282%29.pdf
5	ITI, Raipur	Guest Lecturer	29	10+2, ITI	NOV-18-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s30584ce565c824b7b7f50282d9a19945b/uploads/2020/11/2020110436.pdf
6	Goa Medical College	Jr Resident, Sr Resident, Lower Division Clerk, Pharmacist	13	Higher Sec., Dip. (Pharma), MBBS, PG Deg/ Dip	10 & 11-11-2020	http://www.gmc.goa.gov.in/images/Site_Images/photos/public_noticies/vacancy/Recruitment_Cell/04-11-2020/WalkinInterview_Adv_No_04-11-2020.pdf
7	SDAU	Field Investigator	8	Degree (Agriculture)	NOV-18-2020	http://www.sdau.edu.in/Content/sdau.edu.in/Download/743Field%20Investigator.pdf

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Not Available Today

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 Cabinet approves Rs. 1,810 crore Investment Proposal of Hydro Power Project

 

 

 Highlights –

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved 1 thousand 8 hundred 10 crore rupees investment proposal of 210 Mega Watt Luhri Stage-I Hydro Power Project on river Satluj which is situated in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh.
• The project will be commissioned within 62 months and it is expected to lead to reduction of 6.1 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide from the environment annually.
• The construction activities of the project is expected to result in employment to around 2000 persons and will contribute to overall socio-economic development of the State.
• Himachal Pradesh will benefit with free power worth around 1140 crore rupees from the Project, during project life cycle of 40 years. The project affected families will be provided with 100 units of free electricity per month for ten years.

Important details –

• The Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of health and medicine.
• Cabinet has also approved signing of an MoU between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in the field of telecommunication or ICTs. Post-Brexit, the MoU is also targetting enhanced scope of cooperation and opportunities for India.
• Cabinet has also given its approval for signing a MoU between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, CDSCO India and the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, UK MHRA on cooperation in the field of medical product regulation.
• The Cabinet has been apprised of signing of a MoU between Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and the GRANTECAN, S.A, Spain to develop scientific and technical collaborations in astronomy field.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 Not Available Today

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 Four Democratic Indian-American lawmakers re-elected to US House of Representative

 

 

Key points – 

• All the four Indian-American Democratic lawmakers - Dr Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Raja Krishnamoorthi - have been re-elected to the US House of Representatives.
• The Indian-American community has emerged as a force to reckon with for the first time in the history of the US presidential election.
• Both the Democrat and the Republican campaigns had initiated several measures to woo the approximately 1.8 million members of the community who have emerged as a critical voting bloc in the battleground states of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Highlights –

• The so-called 'Samosa caucus', a termed coined by Raja Krishnamoorthi for informal grouping of Indian-American lawmakers, might expand with at least one more as physician Dr Hiral Tipirneni was leading against Republican incumbent David Schweikert from the sixth Congressional district of Arizona when last reports came in.
• If elected, Hiral Tipirneni, 52, would be the second ever Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives.
• Jayapal, 55, was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives in 2016.
• The 'Samosa caucus' currently comprises five Indian-American lawmakers, including the four members of the House of Representatives and Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, 56.
• Raja Krishnamoorthi, 47, easily defeated Preston Nelson, 30, of the Libertarian Party. When last reports came in, he had accounted for nearly 71 per cent of the total votes counted.
• Ro Khanna, 44, also easily defeated fellow Indian-American Ritesh Tandon, 48, of the Republican Party with a margin of more than 50 percentage points. This was his third-consecutive win from the 17th Congressional district of California.
• Dr Ami Bera, 55, the senior most member of the 'Samosa Caucus', won the seventh Congressional District of California for the fifth consecutive term. When the last report came in, he had established an inaccessible lead by more than 25 percentage points against his Republican rival 65-year-old Buzz Patterson.
• Democratic candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni, 42, lost to his Republican rival Troy Nehls, 52, a popular sheriff and military veteran endorsed by President Donald Trump, in the 22nd Congressional district of Texas.
• Republican Manga Anantatmula lost to Democratic incumbent Gerry Connolly in the 11th Congressional District of Virginia.
• Republican Nisha Sharma from the Republican Party also lost her maiden Congressional attempt. She was defeated by incumbent Mark DeSaulnier from the Democratic Party by more than 50 percentage points.

Note –

• The House of Representatives is the lower house of the US Congress, with the Senate being the upper house.

4.2 Weekly Round-up I – Foreign Affairs II

• The U.S. State Department has designated the U.S. operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions because they are “substantially owned or effectively controlled” by the Chinese regime. The designations restrict their operations in the United States but don’t affect what they can publish in US. These media companies will be treated as foreign embassies or other diplomatic missions, and thus be required to register their employees and U.S. properties with the State Department. Earlier, several agencies including Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television, the People’s Daily and the Global Times were banned. The US considers them China-controlled propaganda outlets.
• Kyrgyzstan’s electoral authorities said on October 21, 2020 that parliamentary polls of October 4 annulled over unrest would be repeated in December. Sadyr Japarov is currently serving as president and prime minister in the interim government following the resignation of Sooronbay Jeenbekov amidst electoral protests.
• The United Nations announced on October 24, 2020 that 50 countries have ratified a UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons triggering its entry into force in 90 days. Honduras was the 50th country to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
• Israel and Sudan agreed on October 23, 2020 to take steps to normalize relations in a deal brokered with the help of the United States, making Khartoum the third Arab government after UAE and Bahrain to set aside hostilities with Israel in 2020. Trump recently removed Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
• The controversial 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution that envisages expansive powers and greater immunity for the Executive President was passed in Parliament with a two-thirds majority on October 22, 2020. The 20th Amendment rolls back Sri Lanka’s 19th Amendment of 2015 that sought to clip presidential powers, while strengthening Parliament. The new legislation reduces the Prime Minister’s role to a ceremonial one.
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on October 23, 2020 decided to keep Pakistan on the “greylist” till the next review of its compliance to the recommendations in February 2021. The “grey list” comprises countries whose controls over terrorism financing are deemed inadequate.
• European Union environment ministers struck a deal on October 23, 2020 to make the bloc’s 2050 net zero emissions target legally binding, but left a decision on a 2030 emissions-cutting target for leaders to discuss in December. The landmark climate change law will form the basis for Europe’s plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
• The first ever Ministerial Meeting of G-20 Anti-Corruption Working Group was held virtually on October 22, 2020. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that Indian Government is committed to the policy of zero tolerance against corruption and unaccounted money.
• Italy has said the MoU with China on the latter’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was a mistake. “The memorandum of understanding on the silk routes with China was a mistake. Xi’s China is no longer what it used to be,” Vincenzo Amendola, Italian minister for European affairs, said on October 20, 2020.  
• Bahrain and Israel have signed a series of key agreements covering bilateral relations, agriculture, trade, civil aviation, telecommunications and financial services. Among the historic deals signed in Bahrain’s capital Manama on October 19, 2020 was a Joint Communique on Establishment of Diplomatic, Peaceful and Friendly Relations between the two countries.
• The first commercial passenger flight to Israel by a carrier from the United Arab Emirates landed near Tel Aviv on October 19, 2020, further cementing a normalisation deal between the two countries. Etihad Airways Flight No. 9607 landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion international airport.  
• Greece’s government on October 19, 2020 said it has finalised plans to extend a wall along its northeast border with Turkey, over concerns that migrants may try to stage mass crossings into the European Union country. 26 kms of wall would be added to an existing 10-km section in a project due to be completed by the end of April.
• The 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO was held via video conference on October 20, 2020. Representing India, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said India has zero tolerance to corruption and black money.
• An estimated one in six children or 356 million globally were living in extreme poverty before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and this is set to worsen significantly, according to the ‘Global Estimate of Children in Monetary Poverty: An Update’ launched by the World Bank Group and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
• World Development Information Day was celebrated on October 24, 2020. The day is celebrated every year to draw the attention of the world to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.
• The International Chefs Day was observed on October 20, 2020.  Each year on the 20th of October, the World Association of Chefs Societies celebrates the International Chefs Day. The theme this year was “Healthy Food for the Future!”
• The World Osteoporosis Day was observed on October 20, 2020 to raise global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease where decreased bone strength increases the risk of a broken bone.
• Leading Sunni Muslim politician and Lebanon’s former PM Saad al-Hariri secured enough support in parliamentary talks on October 22, 2020 to be named prime minister. President Michel Aoun tasked Hariri with forming a new government which will have to tackle the fallout of the huge August explosion at Beirut port that killed nearly 200 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.  
• Indian origin politician and former Anglican priest Wavel Ramkalawan of Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) party was on October 25, 2020 elected new President of Seychelles. He defeated incumbent Danny Faure. The government of Faure had agreed to allow India to develop a naval facility on Assumption Island, one of the many that make up the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of Seychelles.
• Luis Arce of the Movement for Socialism party has been elected as the new President of Bolivia. Arce won 52.4% of the vote, enough to win the election outright without requiring a runoff. He was chosen as successor by former President Evo Morales who is living in exile in Argentina.  
• Ibrahim al-Abed, the founder of the United Arab Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency and a pioneering media figure as the oil-rich nation grew into a regional power, died on October 20, 2020 in Dubai at the age of 78.

4.3 UN adopts two resolutions sponsored by India

Highlights –

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted two resolutions sponsored by India which call to reduce risk of nuclear accidents and prohibition on the use of such weapons.
• The UNGA’s first committee adopted the two resolutions.
• The first committee of the UNGA looks after disarmament and works in collaboration with the Conference on Disarmament and UN Disarmament Commission.
• The two adopted resolutions are titled ‘Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons’ and ‘Reducing Nuclear Danger’ under the ‘Nuclear weapons’ cluster.

Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons –

• The resolution was backed by a majority of UN Members and has been tabled by India since 1982.
• It calls for Conference on Disarmament to start negotiations on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances.
• The aim is to provide a universal and legally binding agreement that would generate the necessary global political will for total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Reducing Nuclear Danger –

• The resolution puts focus on unintentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons and underscores the need for a review of doctrines. The resolution was tabled by India since 1998.
• It urges concrete steps to reduce such risks, including through de-alerting and de-targeting of nuclear weapons.
• A treaty in this regard has also been on the negotiation table at the Conference on Disarmament.
• The proposed treaty outlaws nuclear weapons but discussions on it have been postponed.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Not Available Today

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Round-up – Sports 

• Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara clinched the women's singles title at Denmark Open Badminton by beating Spain’s Carolina Marin in the final 21-19, 21-17 at Odense. Anders Antonsen of Denmark won men's singles title by defeating his compatriot Rasmus Gemke 18-21, 21-19, 21-12. Mixed doubles title was won Germany’s Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich who beat Chris and Gabby Adcock of England in the final 18-21, 21-11, 21-14. In an all-Japan women's doubles final, Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota downed Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara 21-10, 16-21, 21-18. Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge of England defeated Russian pair Valdimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov 20-22, 21-17, 21-18 to win the men’s doubles title.
• A delivery bowled by South Africa’s Anrich Nortje clocked 156.22 kmph, the fastest across 13 editions of the Indian Premier League in October 2020.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Modi government constitutes committee to review guidelines on Television Rating agencies

 

  

Highlights – 

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has constituted a committee to review guidelines on Television Rating agencies in India.
• Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati will be Chairman of the Committee.
• The Members of the Committe are Dr Shalabh, Professor of Statistics in Department of Mathematics and Statistics in IIT Kanpur, Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, Executive Director of C-DOT and Proffesor Pulak Ghosh of Decision Sciences Centre for Public Policy.
• As per reports, the Committee will carry out an appraisal of the existing system, examine TRAI recommendations notified from time to time, overall industry scenario and addressing the needs of the stakeholders and make recommendations for robust, transparent and accountable rating system through changes, if any, in the existing guidelines.
• The Committee can invite any expert as a special invitee.
• The Committee will submit its report to the Minister for Information and Broadcasting within two months.

Note –

• The decision comes around two weeks after the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) decided to suspend publishing its weekly individual ratings for channels in the news genre in the wake of the Mumbai Police’s allegation that Republic TV and two other channels have been manipulating television rating points (TRP).

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 Prasar Bharati to launch 51 education TV channels

 

  

Highlights –  

• Prasar Bharati has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to launch 51 direct-to-home (DTH) education TV channels.
• The MoU has been signed between Prasar Bharati and Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• The goal of the MoU is to bring quality educational programmes to every household, including those in rural and remote areas.

No cost services –

• The DTH education TV channels will be available free of cost, in line with government's commitment towards skill development and providing quality education to the last person in the country.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 Not Available Today

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

 

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• ‘Nursing the World to Health' was the theme of the International Nurses Day celebrated on May 12.
• Tata Motors has announced the launch of hatchback Altroz.
• India has gifted Coast Guard Ship Kaamiyaab to Maldives in Dec 2019.
• Anupriya Acharya has been appointed as the new President of Advertising Agencies Association of India.
• World Maritime Day is celebrated every year on last Thursday of September.

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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